A message from Branson Mayor Edd Akers

Monday at noon the Aldermen will be asked to work with our legal team to amend Chapter 58 of the Branson Municipal Code that will hopefully start the process of reopening our City. We have had lots of pro and con input on all sides of this issue. Thank you all for reaching out. I know how hard this situation is for our residents and business community.

With the social distancing regulations, there will be limited seating at Monday’s meeting. I would strongly encourage you to watch the meeting from home. All Board of Aldermen meetings will now be streamed on our website www.bransonmo.gov. Just click on “Live Stream” on the front page of the website. The Board of Aldermen meetings will also be live-streamed on the @BransonCity “City of Branson Government” Facebook page.

I have spent this past week trying to get clarity on the Governor’s “Show Me Strong Recovery” Plan. As of late Thursday, I was trying to verify what specific businesses fall under “retail.” I am hoping we can find a solution that allows our big and small businesses to open safely. Many of the larger businesses and those who draw people to visit are waiting to open. Many are anxious to get open. I encourage our businesses and individuals to carefully read the State Health Department’s mandatory requirements that everyone is to comply with. Those will be part of our ordinance discussion and inclusion on Monday.

Though this crisis is less than two months old, it has affected almost all aspects of our lives. City Hall, its administration, and employees have worked non-stop to collaborate with local agencies like the Taney County Health Department and the Chamber of Commerce to bring us to a point where we can continue to keep this dread airborne virus at bay, while carefully opening up. City Hall is continuing to maintain vital City functions and is being prudent in our finances to keep the City going.

I have noticed that there is a lot of misinformation being spread on social media. I would urge you to go to the source! If you have a question, call City Hall or our website, www.bransonmo.gov. It is a treasure trove of factual information regarding the City of Branson.

As a reminder, don’t forget to fill out your 2020 Census! Our Census effort has been affected by this health crisis, but I urge you to get it done if you have not.

If you are a praying person, I would encourage you to pray for a vaccine and a cure for COVID-19.